I have been a terrible blogger, haven’t I? I have been in that usual position of life getting in the way.

I got more excited about the actual decorating part of a home decor blog, and forgot the actual blogging part.

That being said, because I have taken so long, I have so many projects to blog about!

This is a short one, with plenty coming up in the next few weeks, as I have decided to make a concerted effort on contributing to this blogworld that I get so much out of.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Melbourne. I spent it cleaning and airing the main bedroom. From our window, I could see one of our two hardy and surprisingly surviving lavender bushes (it’s surprising to me because nearly everything I put in the ground gives up after a couple of days).

Rather than use a fancy vase, I took an old pickle jar I had soaked the label off, and let the lavender speak for itself.

What could be better in a bedroom than freshly washed linens, a jar of lavender fresh from the garden and the springtime breeze rustling the curtains?

Until next time, what have you got growing in your garden?

]]>https://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/springtime-in-the-before-shot/feed/1crystalshomeOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADesk-y Businesshttps://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/desk-y-business/
https://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/desk-y-business/#commentsSat, 19 Feb 2011 23:45:57 +0000http://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/?p=31These are the kind of study/home libraries I would like to find when I open the door to our home:

I want to add some long draping curtains, wall art, some floating shelves for the books and a new desk. Not asking for much, huh?

So rather than throwing a tantrum at the room for not changing itself while I was out at work, I figured I would be proactive. I started with the desk.

Not sure what I wanted, just something smaller with a drawer, headed over to www.gumtree.com.au and found this for a mere forty dollars:

I wanted a battered looking desk, with a work finish.

I started by painting the whole thing silver:

Then there was a coat of JoSonja’s Decor Crackle and left until it was touch dry, followed by a coat of British Paints Craft in Black Matt.

Finally it was time to glaze (you can ship this step if you don’t mind some more cracking) with JoSonja’s Clear Glaze Medium and JoSonja’s Matte Varnish. I added a Prestige 96mm Twist handle in Pewter and voila! (ignore the cords – I need to find a stylish cable management solution.

Mine started with a chair. A beautiful black upholstered chair that has slightly luminescent fabric and would look beautiful in the study/reading room I have planned in my head. The only problem? It cost $700. So until I can justify not needing any basic utilities such as water and electricity, it is out of the question.

Same with our bedroom. One small piece has defined the kind of room I have decided to create. And, as the heading suggests, it was a pillow.

Specifically, it is a logan and mason “Izzy” European pillow case in Aqua blue. And I’m in love.

As it stands, our current bedroom is very boring. It is very monochrome, minus a feature wall we painted when we had our old bedroom set:

And while at the time, I was really into the dramatic black and white, I have a very different (more colour inclusive taste).

The pillow case comes in a good mix of colours

I think the silver and lime would look great in a room with wood furniture, the fuchsia and grape in a girls room, or even pairing the red and black in a dramatic and luxurious boudoir style room.

I really love how cheerful the colour is. I am just waiting on the new bedspread to arrive to join it and brighten up the place. Then all I need is new curtains and a good coat of paint!

]]>https://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/and-it-all-started-with-a-pillow/feed/2crystalshomeOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACottonbox picThe actual before shothttps://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/the-actual-before-shot/
https://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/the-actual-before-shot/#commentsSun, 13 Feb 2011 00:20:46 +0000http://thebeforeshot.wordpress.com/?p=7Here is my house as it currently stands:

In 2007, I was living with my then boyfriend, now husband Veljko, in a very small unit in Chelsea. As much as we loved the location (200 metres from the beach, great public transport, very close to everything), we were getting sick of living on top of each other with no storage space.

I started house hunting, but couldn’t find anything I loved (now that I am older and wiser, there were one or two great homes that could have been fixer uppers, but I was very into new things then). Finally we decided to build. We bought a block of land and put a deposit down on a Henley home – The Carinya:

You know when you have moment in life where you just snap and say “I can’t TAKE it any more!!”

That happened about a month ago. I was just sitting at home and thought about how I was sick of how my house looked.

Don’t get me wrong, I love our house. It just lacks a style. I want our home to look like everything in it has been thought about and put there for a reason, instead of it’s current state, where there is a mix of hand me downs, what we could find at the time and what our parents couldn’t fit in their houses any more.

To be honest, I have absolutely no experience in anything to do with design. I am terrible at DIY and I am really bad at bringing the picture I see in my head into reality. But who wants to live in a place that they aren’t completely happy with??